Odds and ends on a big day in Scottsdale

We had a chance to talk to manager Bruce Bochy and GM Brian Sabean this morning. Much of what they said will appear in my story for tomorrow’s paper, which should be on the Gate later this afternoon. Here is some of the stuff that won’t fit in the paper:

– Sabean explained why he traded catcher Ronny Paulino to Florida for a minor-league pitcher as soon as acquiring him from Philly for Jack Taschner.

“Tasch obviously needed a change of scenery,” Sabean said. “That was accomplished, and we needed roster flexibility. That answers why we traded Paulino. We valued the roster spot more than having Paulino in return.”

He meant the 40-man roster, which now stands at 37. Rich Aurilia, Juan Uribe and possibly Andres Torres will take those spots when their minor-league contracts are purchased.

– It’s been so long since a Giants Rule 5 pick made the team, even front-office man Bobby Evans could not immediately remember who it was. Now it appears reliever Luis Perdomo will make it.

Had the Giants wanted to send Perdomo down, they would have had to run him through waivers then cut a deal with St. Louis, his former team, to keep him. Sabean said he knows Perdomo would have been claimed by the Padres, Nats or one of the other bottom teams in the NL.

– Sabean is not searching for a long man or a backup catcher from outside the organization, but he stressed anything can change based on who becomes available.

– Bochy conceded he was a little surprised Merkin Valdez would pitch well enough to make the team out of camp, given how behind he was with arm trouble.